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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012446">Lost</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound'>AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes's Backpack, Flirting, Frustration, Grumpy Bucky Barnes, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Oblivious Clint Barton, Pining, Smart Clint Barton, Star Spangled Bingo, Team as Family, Teasing, WinterHawk Bingo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:54:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012446</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky can’t find the thing he was sure he put in his backpack and while he gets more and more frustrated the team all have their own reactions.  Clint notices everything.  Well, almost everything.</p><p><b>Square filled:</b> <i>@winterhawkbingo</i> - N4 Obliviousness, <i>@star-spangled-bingo</i> - Bucky’s Backpack</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>171</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Star Spangled Bingo 2020, Winterhawk Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clint watched as Bucky tipped the contents out of his backpack onto the coffee table.  A whole litany of things fell out and spilled over the table and onto the ground.  Ammo.  Three handguns (which Clint instinctively flinched at given Bucky’s clumsiness and tendency to keep guns loaded), five different notebooks (four of which had a plain black cover and one had pictures of small anthropomorphic fruits), a hairbrush, a random cluster of hair ties, gloves, pens, cat treats, protein bars, a travel mug that looked in serious need of a wash, keys, chapstick, and his wallet all just scattered as he shook the bag to empty it of its contents.</p><p>“Buck,” Steve said, gently.  Steve had a tendency to assume anytime Bucky did something erratic it was because he was having some kind of breakdown.  He rarely ever was, and it always made Bucky get super sarcastic.  Clint liked it.  But then Clint liked a lot of things Bucky did, so that wasn’t that surprising.  The surly ex-assassin who pretended to hate everything in the world while at the same time trying to coax every single stray cat out so he could pet it, drew Clint in, in a very particular way.  “What are you looking for?”</p><p>“I made this … thing… I need to find it.”  Bucky complained as he began to dig through the pockets of the bag.  There were a lot and now he was pulling out old receipts, vouchers, and fliers for things like Madame Tussauds and Ripley’s Believe it or Not, ticket stubs to films from two years ago, and so much loose change.  Clint counted at least eight dollars in quarters alone.</p><p>“Jesus, Barnes.  Clean out your bag occasionally would you,” Sam snarked.  That’s how it was with Sam and Bucky.  Everything they said to each other was tinged with salt, but there was genuine affection in each word.  God, what Clint would do to have that same salty-sweet banter with the dark-haired klutz.  Instead, he only got mumbled insults.</p><p>“Yeah, I am taking that now, before it becomes some kind of biological weapon,”  Tony added, grabbing the travel mug gingerly and carrying it away from his body like he was worried he’d catch something from it.</p><p>“Where is it?”  Bucky hissed.  For three very innocent words, Bucky had made each one sound like a curse.  There was something vaguely attractive about that too.  He liked to imagine what other things Bucky could stay in that slightly breathless growl.</p><p>“Maybe if you told us what you were looking for we could help you,” Steve reasoned.</p><p>Bucky scowled and lowered his head.  His hair fell down into his eyes and he huffed, trying to blow it back again.  Clint felt an almost overwhelming urge to reach over and brush Bucky hair back off his face.  He wanted to tease his fingers through it and work out the tangles.  To grab one of those hair ties and tie it back so that only a few, selected strands stayed loose and framed his face.  Or to spend time putting small braids in it like Thor wore.</p><p>He actually moved forward in his chair a little and Natasha looked over at him with his eyebrow raised.  Of course, Nat knew how Clint felt about Bucky.  Clint wasn’t that good at hiding shit like that anyway and Nat could read him like a book.  And not even a hard to read book.  One with pictures and helpful diagrams.  Thankfully Bucky was slightly more oblivious.</p><p>Speaking of which - small, dark, and greasy had gone back to digging through his bag.  Now he was just pulling out lint and tiny little bits of trash.  He’d never answered Steve, and the blond shook his head and sat back.</p><p>Clint couldn’t take it anymore.  He moved so he was sitting perched right at the end of the couch and gathered up Bucky’s hair so it was no longer falling over his face.</p><p>Bucky flinched immediately and pulled away shaking his head.  “What the hell are you doing, Barton?”  He growled.</p><p>Clint was used to that.  Bucky often spoke to him like he was a second away from tearing the archer’s throat out with his teeth.  But like with an abused stray, Clint knew patience and a gentle touch was all that was needed.</p><p>“Cut it out,” Clint scolded.  “I’m helping.”</p><p>Bucky bristled, but he stayed still and let Clint use his fingers to comb out his hair and then twist it together, pulling it back from his face.  By the time Clint grabbed one of the hair ties, Bucky had relaxed completely and he made a soft little gurgling sound that made Clint feel warm inside.</p><p>“What the hell kind of sound was that, Barnes?”  Tony teased.</p><p>Bucky shook Clint off again and started shoving everything back into his bag.  “Fuckin’ forget it.”  He muttered as everything that was once scattered over the table and floor ended up back in his backpack with no rhyme or reason.</p><p>When most of it was returned from whence it came, Bucky got up and threw the backpack on.  Clint tried not to laugh as he watched the super-soldier struggle to get all the clips done up, including the one on his chest even though chances were high he was just going to sulk in his room.</p><p>“Buck, come on,” Steve said, trying to soothe his best friend.</p><p>“Yeah, man.  Tony’s just being Tony,” Sam added.</p><p>“That’s right.  I am,” Tony agreed.</p><p>Bucked huffed and stormed out of the room.</p><p>“What was that?”  Tony asked as the door slammed closed.  “He made a sex sound.  You all heard it.  Was I not supposed to tease him about that?”</p><p>Steve signed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I promised I wouldn’t say.  But… Clint.  He has a crush on you.”</p><p>“Seriously?”  Tony said.  “On Legolas?”</p><p>Clint stared at Steve.  He felt his mouth open and close a few times like a goldfish.  He felt like he should say something but he was so shocked that the man he’d been carrying a torch for months now had been feeling the exact same way and Clint had been completely oblivious to it.</p><p>Natasha punched him in the arm, breaking him out of his frozen trance.  “Go get him, dummy,” she said.</p><p>“Right,” Clint said, getting up.  “Yeah, right.  Get him.”</p><p>He followed Bucky out the way he’d left and for a second it was like his brain had completely stopped working.  He knew Bucky most likely went to his room but he kept thinking ‘what if he didn’t?’  Finally, his legs decided to just act on their own given the brain had stopped doing its job and they carried him to Bucky’s room.</p><p>He knocked but didn’t wait for a response.  He knew Bucky wouldn’t give him one anyway.</p><p>“Buck?”  He said softly, poking his head through the door.</p><p>The bag was on the bed now and Bucky was searching through the books, shaking them and letting any loose material fall out.  He looked up at Clint, a scowl burned into his features.  “If you’ve been the one voted to try and tell me not to overreact, you can forget it.  I know I’m overreacting.”</p><p>“No,” Clint said.  “That’s not why I’m here.”</p><p>“What then?”  Bucky said.</p><p>“Whatever you’re looking for.  I don’t need it.  I like you too, Buck.”  Clint said, moving into the room.</p><p>“What?”  Bucky asked, staring at Clint.</p><p>“What you’re looking for.  You made it for me right?”  Clint said.</p><p>Bucky nodded.  “I found a piece of obsidian.  So I carved it into an arrowhead.  I thought you might… I dunno… wear it or put it on a shelf in your room.”</p><p>Clint sat down next to Bucky.  “That was really sweet, Buck,” he said and took Bucky’s hand and started to play with his fingers.  “I don’t need things though.  I’d be happy with just you.”</p><p>Bucky stared down at Clint’s hand and then up into his eyes.  For a second Clint thought he was going to say something.  Maybe tell him to fuck off.  Or deny it.  Or any of the other terrible things that could happen because Clint had always been fairly certain he didn’t get to have good things.  Instead, Bucky lunged forward and captured Clint’s lips with his.</p><p>Clint started in surprise and didn’t respond.  It felt like an eternity before his mind caught back up with the fact that the man he’d dreamed about kissing for months was actually doing it right now. Those were <em>his</em> lips moving against Clint’s.  <em>His</em> scruff was tickling Clint’s nose.  <em>His</em> tongue teased Clint’s lips apart to gain access to his mouth.</p><p>Clint submitted to Bucky, wrapping his arms around the brunet and pushing his hands up into his hair.  Their lips moved together and this time it was Clint that made the soft gurgling sound.  He ran his hands down along Bucky’s shoulders and down his chest.  When his hands reached Bucky’s hips he felt a small hard bulge in the left pocket.  He squeezed it and pulled back, looking at Bucky.</p><p>“Is this it?”  He asked fisting his hand into Bucky’s pocket.</p><p>“Fuck,” Bucky cursed.  “Shit, no.  For fuck’s sake.”</p><p>Clint pulled out the roughly carved piece of glass and started laughing.  “Oh my god, you’re worse than me.”</p><p>A soft blush crept into Bucky’s cheeks and he lowered his eyes.  It was by far the cutest thing Clint had ever seen Bucky do.  He leaned his forehead on the other man’s and cradled his jaws.  “I love it,” he said.  What he meant was I love you, but he’d get to that later.  When he worked up the courage and it didn’t feel too early.  For now, he was content with the fact he knew it wasn’t unrequited.</p>
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